This invention relates to a force measuring hub to measure forces and/or torques exerted at least in the circumferential direction on a body such as a wheel, particularly a vehicle wheel. The force measuring hub has a first annular component which is adapted to be coaxially mounted on the wheel-like body and which has radial webs provided with elongation-sensing strips, forming part, for example, of a bridge circuit. The force measuring hub further has a second annular component which is adapted to be coaxially mounted on a carrier for the wheel-like body, such as a braking device and is connected with the first component such that the radial webs are situated in the force path passing between the wheel and the carrier.
A force measuring hub of the above-outlined type is known and is disclosed, for example, in German Laid-Open Application (Offenlegungsschrift) No. 2,302,540. In this known force measuring hub the two annular components are connected with one another and have angled cross-sectional shapes. The first annular component has a cylindrical portion situated within the hub and further has, at an end face, an outwardly oriented securing flange to be mounted on a vehicle wheel. The second annular component of the force measuring hub has an external cylindrical portion and, at an end thereof, an inwardly oriented securing flange which serves for mounting the force measuring hub on a brake drum. Between the two cylindrical portions there extend radial webs which are arranged in two planes and which are provided with elongation-sensing strips.
The above-outlined known force measuring hub has a substantial spatial requirement in the axial direction. For this reason, in order to compensate for the axial dimension of the force measuring hub with regard to the track width of the vehicle, the vehicle wheel proper has to be removed and replaced by a particularly dimensioned measuring wheel.